C H A P T E R  0 9

❛ rise up ❜

QUINN

     AT SOME POINT DURING THE NIGHT she must've fallen asleep, despite her desperate attempts not to. She woke with a start, the nightmare on repeat in her mind. The dark hallway, Daryl's bruised body, that satisfied smirk on Negan's face...She took a shaky breath, trying her hardest to pull herself together. She couldn't fall apart, not here, not now.

Her back was aching from having slept in the awkward position of being cuffed to a radiator. With an annoyed sigh she tried to stretch as best as she could, only to wince at the ache in her side. She'd almost forgotten about her wound. With a side-eyed glance she looked at her father, only to realise he'd already been looking at her. There was curiosity burning in the depth of his eyes and it made her stomach turn with unease.

"What?" She muttered.

"You really care about him don't you?" He questioned, still with that same curiosity.

She frowned. "Who?"

He looked close to rolling his eyes, as though it was obvious. "Daryl. You were calling out his name in your sleep."

Her eyes widened and she quickly turned her head away from him, letting her hair cover her face. She wasn't embarrassed about the fact that she loved Daryl, it was simply part of who she was. But she hated that she'd made the mistake of falling asleep and revealing a vulnerable side of herself. Her body was still healing from all the trauma it had gone through, so she could've expected to fall asleep. Still, she hated that she'd given into it. It wasn't safe here.

And besides, thinking of Daryl distracted her. It brought memories to the surface of bruised skin and teary goodbyes. Her heart ached beneath the weight of worry for him. She couldn't use such a distraction if she wanted to get out of here alive and with an army at her side. It was hard enough she kept returning to that awful place in her sleep.

Lucky for her, the door was opened and the woman she assumed was their leader entered. Followed by the brown girl and Beatrice. Quinn took a deep breath, readying herself for whatever it was they were here to say.

The leader positioned herself on the table standing opposite of them once again, folding her hands in her lap. Her sharp, hawk-like gaze was watching them closely. Then she spoke. "We held a meeting yesterday to talk about your request to stay here." Suddenly she seemed a bit uncomfortable. "Most of us voted against the idea until Cyndie here spoke in your favor."

The brown girl, Cyndie, offered her a careful smile.

"So," the elderly woman continued. "You can stay here for two more days but you must remain inside this cabin and only go outside with an escort. After that you will be dropped off somewhere, blind folded so you will not find your way back here. That is the deal."

The idea of being blindfolded made every single hair on her skin rise in protest. There was no way she could ever agree to those terms. What if they decided to bring them back to the Saviors compound? What if they decided to kill them? It was too dangerous and she didn't trust these people enough to accept. But, looking into the stern gaze of the woman, Quinn knew that was the answer she was expecting her to give. What would happen if she said yes instead. That would give her two days to try and win their trust. Two days to get these people on her side. And, as it turned out, she already had one ally.

"Agreed," Quinn replied, feeling a small bit of satisfaction when surprise flashed through the woman's eyes. She could feel her father's gaze burning into her head but she ignored him.

For a moment the three of them just stood there, surprised at her answer. But then Cyndie walked forward with a key and got rid of their handcuffs. Careful and with her hand against the wall for support, Quinn got to her feet. Her entire body was stiff and so her request was more than just part of her plan.

"Since we're allowed outside, I'd like to stretch my legs," she said, looking Cyndie in the eye.

"Alright," she nodded, though it didn't go unnoticed by Quinn how her hand went for the knife attached to her belt. Good to know. Cyndie might be the reason they were allowed to stay, but she didn't trust them completely.

She didn't so much as look into the direction of her father as she left the cabin, Cyndie on her heels. The sun was shining brightly, illuminating the colorful community. Everyone was busy with their chores, just like when she arrived yesterday. It seemed like in every community the same amount of hard work was needed to keep it up and running. Except for at the Sanctuary of course. Because why work when you could steal for a living?

Far in the distance the sound of the sea lingered, which gave her an idea. She turned to Cyndie. "Am I allowed to go to the beach or are you afraid I might steal the sea?" She asked, a mocking tone in her voice.

"That's a horrible joke," Cyndie replied, though in the corner of her lips lingered a smile. "Come on." She led the way through the community and Quinn kept her eyes open for any sign of an armory of some kind. She took notice that almost everyone walked around with a gun, even some of the older kids. Their confrontation with the Saviors clearly left them all scarred, maybe even slightly paranoid. Not that she could blame them.

She smelled the sea before she saw it. The salt air washed over her like a tidal wave. She breathed it in and felt herself smile. At least this time there wasn't a spear pressed against her back as she marvelled at the waves again. Though some part of her wondered if Cyndie truly was her only guard or if they had someone secretly following them. Considering how careful they were, it wouldn't surprise her.

The blue water to her right was calling out to her and she decided to at least pretend like she wasn't worried at all about being followed. With a small smile on her face she took off her shoes and dipped her toes in the salt water. The cold water calmed her nerves almost immediately, she could all but hear them sizzle out. Though even the beauty of the beach wasn't enough to make her forget about her mission.

"Why did you convince your people to let us stay?" Quinn asked, looking at the girl walking beside her.

The question seemed to make her uncomfortable, her eyes looking everywhere but at Quinn. "It's what my mom would've done," she finally muttered. "She showed me the way." She took a deep breath. "A way."

Quinn nodded. "It didn't seem like that older lady agreed."

"My grandmother, Natania," Cyndie said. "No, if it was up to her we killed every stranger on sight. But we agreed not to because it wouldn't make us any better than the Saviors."

She stored every piece of information carefully, tucking it away in the hope she could use it later. So they weren't afraid to kill, which could definitely be useful.

"What happened exactly? With the Saviors?" She asked.

Cyndie eyed her. "I could ask you the same question."

For a moment she held her gaze, measuring her. Then she took a deep breath and decided she might as well tell the whole truth. She would have to eventually if she was going to get their help. And she might not know Cyndie for long, but so far she hadn't found a reason not to trust her. The girl had placed her trust in their good intentions and so she would do the same.

"I told you the truth," Quinn said. "Though not all of it."

Cyndie simply looked at her, as if she'd been expecting such a thing. Apparently Quinn was going to have to take a few more acting classes from Carol to make her case convincing.

"We did break into that satellite station and I was taken captive," she took a deep breath, hating to relive those memories. "But when the Saviors found out about the satellite station they rounded a group of us up. Negan came out and after putting on quite the show he killed two of my friends." She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, refusing to cry. "Then he took me and another one of our group captive. I managed to escape with my father's help but Daryl's still-" She fell quiet.

It still wasn't the entire truth but she didn't think it'd be wise to tell Cyndie who her father really was. She herself wasn't even sure she could truly trust him. And so, at least for now, she thought it best to act like there wasn't anything going on between them. Which could require the best acting of her life.

"I'm sorry," Cyndie said softly, studying her closely.

"Yeah," was all Quinn said. Her eyes wandered to the blue waters on her right. For a moment she wished she could just let herself be carried away by the tide. Never to return to all the pain, the despair, all the death...She turned her eyes back to Cyndie, shaking those thoughts away from her. It was impossible to escape the looming fight and she'd be damned if she'd run from it.

"So what happened with your community?" She asked, quickly trying to steer her thoughts back to the original purpose of this entire walk.

Grief clouded Cyndie's eyes before Quinn was even done talking. A pain fresh and far from healed. It tore her heart apart.

"We made the mistake of standing up for ourselves," Cyndie mumbled. "The Saviors killed them all. Even-" She took a shaky breath. "Every boy over ten, including my little brother."

There were no words to describe the terrible weight that had appeared in her chest. Her father had told her the story already but hearing it from someone who experienced it herself made it only that much worse to process.

"After that we left our old home," Cyndie quickly continued before the emotions would start to drown her. "We found this place and made sure we stayed hidden, alive."

Quinn wasn't sure if she imagined it but there was a certain bitterness to her voice, almost as if she didn't truly agree with the new way of doing things. It didn't sound like her words at all, more like the words of her grandmother, repeated over and over until it was all they knew. The only truth that kept them alive.

She tilted her head as she looked at the girl. "But that's not what you want is it?"

Cyndie didn't reply immediately, keeping her eyes focused on the horizon instead.

"It's not what your mother taught you, is it?" She added softly.

For a moment all she could hear was the murmur of the sea, crawling on land before retreating again. And for a moment she feared the water would take her words with it, drown them and leave them unanswered.

But then Cyndie took a deep breath and replied with a voice so soft, Quinn could barely hear her: "You're right." She came to a halt and turned to face Quinn. "Do you think our communities could help each other? Help to keep each other safe?"

A small smile appeared on her lips. "I know we can," she replied, voice firm. "I don't think hiding is an option, not with these people. The only way to survive is to fight."

"My grandmother won't be that easily convinced," Cyndie said.

That she had expected. "So what do you need to do to convince her?"

Cyndie held her gaze as a thousand gears suddenly seemed to roar alive inside of her head. It almost looked as if she grew in size, a renewed confidence taking hold of her.

"Are you certain we can win this war?" She questioned, though judging by the tone of her voice Quinn knew was already convinced. All she needed was one last push.

The fire that she'd carried within her ever since that horrible night was ignited was once, bigger and warmer than ever. All consuming. She would make sure they would burn every last piece of Negan's empire to the ground. And so, when she replied, she truly believed her words.

"I'm certain."

Cyndie nodded once, her eyes set aflame. "I know some people who don't agree with my grandmother either. I will speak to them. First, let's get you back to the cabin."

They spend the walk back in silence, both of them contemplating the consequences of what they just discussed. Quinn knew it must've been hard for Cyndie to turn her back on her people, her family, to do what she believed was right. But sometimes doing what you believed in, was the only choice you'd left. She could only be thankful she hadn't been put in such a position with her own family...

When she entered the cabin, Cyndie gave her one last small nod before locking the door behind her. Quinn lowered herself on one of the kitchen chairs. The small walk had completely tired her out. Her entire side was aching and the wound was throbbing. She could feel her father's eyes on her without having to look at him, but once again, she chose to ignore him. She felt slightly surprised at how good she was getting at that.

"So, I assume you have a plan and Cyndie is in on it?" He asked.

"Just wait and see," she replied, not feeling the need to explain herself to him.

He shifted nervously, searching for the right words to express whatever was bothering him. "You didn't tell her how I was able to get you out of the Sanctuary right?" His voice betrayed his nerves. Apparently he'd been pondering that question ever since she stepped outside the cabin.

"Don't worry," she replied. "If I tell anyone that, you're dead. And I'm not giving up my chance to kill you myself."

He remained silent after that, which she was more than grateful for.

As time passed she tried multiple times to look out of the window to try and see if anything was happening out there. But the women had chosen their prison well. The cabin was completely surrounded by greenery, making it near impossible to get a good view of the outside. It wasn't until it was slowly turning dark outside that she finally heard shouting.

She couldn't make out what was being said but she could guess it wasn't anything good. Cyndie wouldn't want her grandmother to get hurt but trying to take over an entire community without violence wasn't easy either...

She was startled by the door of their cabin being thrown open. She stumbled away from the windows and held her hands in the air. Natania came storming inside with a gun in her hand, aimed right at Quinn's head. Her eyes were wide with anger.

It appeared negotiations went well.

"What did you say to her?" Natania demanded, her voice deranged. "What lies did you try to sell her?"

In that moment Quinn desperately wished she had Milo's skills of calming someone down, of always knowing the right thing to say, but she hadn't. So far all she'd done was play with her words. Maybe it was time to be brutally honest instead. It didn't look like she could make Natania any more angry than she already was.

"I didn't say anything that Cyndie didn't already know," she stated calmly, though her heart was racing in her chest. She refused to die here. "You won't survive by doing nothing. Eventually they will find you. Your only option is to fight."

"We tried that," Natania spat. "We lost. Too much. We're not gonna lose anymore. Not our safety, not my granddaughter. Not after everything we've done to get here."

She shook her head. "You're not the only one who has lost something. The Saviors took away our loved ones too. Which is why we have to fight, so they don't keep taking the people we love."

She might as well have been talking to a wall. Her words didn't seem to have any effect on the older lady. How could you reason with a person who didn't want to be reasoned with? As luck would have it, she didn't have to find out.

Beatrice and Cyndie came marching into the cabin, both holding a weapon, though Beatrice was the only one pointing hers at Natania. Cyndie walked forward instead, slowly trying to reach her grandmother.

"Put the gun down grandma," she said softly. "It's over. We have to try."

"It's not over! They've forgotten. You've all forgotten! Some of you actually want to fight them? To leave this place? After everything?"

"Everything that happened is exactly why we have to try," Beatrice said, her grip tight on her weapon.

Natania turned to look at her and Cyndie immediately jumped into action. She drew her arm back and hit her grandmother against the jaw, knocking her down against the ground. Quickly she kneeled down and took her gun away. When she stood back up she turned to look at Quinn.

"I'm sorry."

Quinn tried her hardest to suppress a smile. "I'm not."

The awe in her voice didn't go unnoticed by Cyndie, who flashed her a small smile. "Most of Oceanside is with us," she said then. "We won't force those who don't want to fight to do so but they're gonna have to accept it."

Quinn nodded. "Good. When do we leave?"

A U T H O R 'S   N O T E

So as you guys might have noticed, I love the beach lol. I grew up literally five minutes away from the beach so everything I describe in this chapter is spoken out of experience :)

Also this chapter shows so much character growth for Quinn. She's way more willing to trust people than she was in the beginning of the story, even if it's for her own purpose haha. I really loved expanding the role of her recruiting people like she did back with Aaron and Daryl. I feel like it's a role that really suits her.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please leave some comments and votes if you did. They really keep me going :)

xx nelly